I was visiting Taj Mahal a few days ago and here are my impressions from the place and a bit of tips and advice if you plan to visit Taj Mahal.

What is Taj Mahal?

Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal is a mausoleum. It was build by the mogul Shah Jahan in the 17th century, in honor of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died when giving birth to her 14th child and Shah Jahan spend the rest of his life building this giant monument in her honor. He forgot to govern too and lost his power because of it, but let’s just focus on the romantic part here 🙂 .It’s really a stunning piece of architecture and even though I am not a person who is that much in to traditional sightseeing, this is a place that impressed me. It’s a massive complex and it’s located right in the center of the city Agra, which is around 200 kilometers southeast of Delhi.

Some tips and advice if you want to visit Taj Mahal.

You are not alone at the Taj Mahal.

Be ware that you are not the only one visiting Taj Mahal. thousands of people visit the Taj Mahal every day. The vast majority are Indians, who want to see the building that India is most famous for. Indians have their own lines and their own ticket prices though. They get to visit Taj Mahal a lot cheaper than foreign tourists. Actually they pay 20 times less that foreigners, but the foreigner price is still only 1000 Rupees (roughly 14€) which I think is OK for such aworld class monument. And fair enough that low income Indians get a chance to see the place too. The Indians get to line up forlong time too though, as their lines are very very long.

Also be ware that there are male and female lines. Here, the women get an easier task than us guys, who tend to be searched a little more by security before entering Taj Mahal. Be also ware that they will not allow you to bring in daypacks, handbags and so on, so leave them outside, or in your hotel room.

You will also need to take your shoes off before entering the very center of the mausoleum, or cover your shoes with some plastic covers that you are given together with your ticket. It seems as only foreigners get these covers, cause all the Indians I saw left their shoes outside and walked barefoot, while all the westerners had plastic covers on.

The line to get to the center of the mausoleum is really long at most times and there is honestly not that much to see in there, so you might just want to skip that part if you ask me.

And lastly, Be ware that Taj Mahal is closed on friday.

This was just a few practical things about visiting Taj Mahal. Hope this will prove helpful to someone.